Cleaning
Restoring
Solido
tracks
Display
Storage
Photography
from Mehusla of 1/144 Direct
If you end up purchasing older diecast models, odds are you will end up with some pretty dirty vehicles. Here are some tips:
Use warm water, dishwashing detergent, and Q-Tips. Place the model on a clean, dry towel. Dip the Q-Tip in the water. Test the model by cleaning the bottom first...make sure you don't damage the model by accident. For flat areas, swab the area lightly, and then dry with a clean cloth. For crevasses, use the Q-Tip to clean, and then a dry Q-Tip to dry the area. For really hard to get areas, a wood toothpick works great. If the area is deep, or hard to get clean, pull off a small piece of cotton from a cotton ball (REAL cotton, NOT the synthetic type). Dip this in soapy water, then use the toothpick to 'drag' it through the cracks and detailed areas. Finish up with a dry piece of cotton in the same manner.
Be especially CAREFUL around decals, as they may wash (or be rubbed) right off the tank!
Sticker removal: There is a great product on the market called Un-Do. Un-Do is a solvent which does a great job removing unwanted stickers, and other residual adhesives. I have had good luck with this product...but ALWAYS TEST on an unobtrusive part of your model, to avoid accidental damage
Recently, I have tried my hand at restoring old models. My first experiments have been a Zylmex Tiger, a Zylmex SU-100, and a Corgi SU100.
Preparation: I removing the tracks, antenna, machine guns, etc. I also try to remove and save the original decals. Un-Do (see above) can be used to help with the removal. I then drill out the rivets and disassemble the tank. Take special note as to anything which might be tricky when reassembling the model (e.g. firing mechanisms, etc.). I place ALL of the parts in a Ziploc bag, and label the bag with a magic marker.
Paint Removal: Stripping the old paint is not difficult. Commercial paint remover usually removes the paint very quickly. After applying the remover and letting it dissolve the paint for a while, "pressure" wash the model with a hose (i.e. garden hose with sprayer). As a note, I hold the model with a pair of pliers. For hard to get areas, scrape the remover-coated model with a tooth pick, or (for really hard areas) gently with an ice pick. Finally, resistant areas can be "buffed" with a Dremel rotary tool with a wire brush. This does a great job of removing the final bits.
Painting: I prime the tank with standard Krylon bare metal primer. I repaint the model using either Testor Model Masters or Tamiya spray paints. The Tamiya paints seem to: 1) run less, 2) dry faster, 3) smell better, so I prefer them. If I had an airbrush (and some skill), I would use an airbrush to paint the models.
Re-assembly: Re-assembly is a challenge. Currently I am using a hot glue gun to reassemble the parts, although I am about to experiment with small screws purchased from MicroMark. Finally, I reapply the decals with rubber cement.
Restored Zylmex Su 100 |
Restored Zylmex Tiger Tank |
Restored Zylmex Tiger Tank |
Verem tracks come prepainted, but Solido tracks come in bright shiny bare-metal silver. What can you do about this? Here are various ideas I have gleaned from the web:
Paint the tracks black, or brown - not a very satisfactory solution for me, I'm afraid.
Paint them with Polly-Scale "Grimy Black", or Rust Cap Hammerite spray paint.
Use Birchwood Casey's Brass Black or Brass Blue. I have used this technique. It actually "tarnishes" the metal, leaving a flat gray/black looking tread. Not perfect, but much better than bright silver! The original use of this product is to "blue" gun barrels. You can get this product at gun shops and sporting goods stores which sell guns. The cost is nominal: $3-$5.
Allan A., an enthusiast from Denmark, sent me his thoughts on the painting tracks:
"...I can't understand why you want to paint them, as a former driver of Centurion and Leopard tanks I think the right colour is like silver. When you have been driving a day in the sand with a heavy tank, the right colour is bright silver, like metal coming directly from a sandblasting. But after some days (in the rainy Denmark) the tracks become rusty."
Thanks Allan!
Now to display those models. This can be a real problem. Since tanks, being big in real life, are larger than an automobiles, scale model tanks are larger than car models at the same scale. This renders many display cabinets unusable. This can be a particular problem with 1:50 scale models. If you purchase a display case, double check the interior dimension of the shelves, and make sure your models will fit. Tannery Lane makes a nice display cabinet with 2 1/2" deep shelves which work well for most of my collection.
For larger tanks (1/32 and larger), I mounted good, old fashioned, shelves on the wall. The materials can be purchased at most hardware stores. I use the type where the shelf support brackets are attached to slotted rails. These vertical rails are screwed into the walls. The slotted rails provide the users with the ability to vary the distance between shelves, and to decide how many shelves to use. The shelves themselves can usually be found in the same section as the hardware, and are precut at fixed lengths. If you need custom lengths, 1x6'', 1x8'' and 1x12'' boards can be cut to fit the appropriately width shelf support bracket. As always, take a tape measure!
Book cases can work well, also
OK, now you have more tanks than
you can put on display! What to do?
1) If you saved the boxes, you can (obviously...) put them back
in the box.
2) You can gently wrap the model in tissue, then newspaper, and
store them all away in a big box.
3) For smaller models (1:72, 1:87 and smaller), I use plastic
storage boxes from Plano Molding Company and Flambeau Products
Corporation. These boxes have moveable dividers which allow you
to alter the shape of the compartment to better fit the tank. The
cases are also semi-transparent, so you can see what is inside. If
you are afraid that the tanks will get "jostled"
around, you can always pack the vehicles with tissue paper to
prevent movement. You can by these boxes in the FISHING
department of your local discount store (these boxes are made to
hold fishing lures). I got mine at Wal-Mart! $3-$6 each.
 small storage box |
 larger storage box |
courtesy of Mehusla of 1/144 Direct
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/matt.sneddon/Dragon%201-144/
|
again my thanks to Mehusla of 1/144 Direct!
Got any other tips/tricks? Let me know! I'll post-em here, and give you credit! mikestanks@yahoo.com
